Self Challenge is Over - Is my first novel done?

So it is the end of the challenge I made to myself to write a novel in just 2 months. Did I finish my first novel? Nope. I did learn some things about myself and my writing style.

This time around, I attempted to use the snowflake method. It kind of worked. Thanks to the snowflake method, for the first time I actually had an idea of where I wanted the story to go, from start to finish. When I actually started writing I jumped around. Wrote a little of the beginning, then wrote a little of the end, went back to the beginning, started some of the middle, and just kept writing whatever scenes were playing out in my head. When I gave in to the idea of writing some of the end even though the beginning wasn't done, I realized this helped keep me from simply staring at the computer screen.

I did find myself letting life get in the way a bit more...okay a lot more, than I would have liked. I'd come home from the office and just want to crash. Then I'd give into my crashing idea, and never get to writing.

We also have some home projects weighing on my mind such as finishing the update to our main bathroom. Also on the docket for this year is to work on the garden. For the past several years of owning our home, all we've basically grown are weeds. Our front yard even had a mini-field, or at least that's what I'm calling what the flower bed in the front yard turned into.

The challenge may be over, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on writing my first novel. In fact, I'm going to continue working on it. Currently at the drafting stage, I'm going to try to write an average of 1,000 words daily. Why only an average? I've figured out that sometimes, I can't control how life gets in the way, if I get stuck at the office and get home later than I was planning, it limits the amount of time I have to write.

One day soon I'll be telling you I've finished my first novel, so stay tuned!

Good luck to all of you in whatever endeavors and challenges you set for yourself.

Novel Challenge Update

Honestly, I've been a bad girl. Sort of. In some sense, life has gotten in the way. Needing to put extra hours in at the office to meet deadlines, bringing work home, and making at least some time for family and to unwind.

In other areas, it's me. Most nights I've been falling asleep around 7:00 pm. Which only gives enough time to basically get home from the office, feed my furry children (2 Golden Retrievers), and feed myself and fiancé.

I can say, thanks to this challenge, I'm probably further than I've ever been before even though I haven't yet started typing out the story. I have a complete idea. Thanks to the Snowflake Method (learn about the Snowflake Method) I know what the beginning, middle, and end of my story is. The details of what happens in the scenes playing in my head keeps changing, but the basics aren't really changing.

In the past I've just started typing away at my keyboard and not really planned it out. The furthest I've gotten with this method is about 5 or 6 pages in. Now with the Snowflake Method, I feel like I could sit down and in about a week, maybe two, I could have a rough draft.

I'm also thinking about all the other projects we have going on, still finishing our main bathroom, finishing some work in our bedroom, and I need to straighten up our home office. (Why me and not my fiancé or the both of us? Because it's all my mess, and if my fiancé cleans it I'll never find something I need from there again.) Plus, I haven't even started our taxes yet. I have the documents set aside...somewhere in the home office.

This weekend, I do hope to at least start typing this story out. But I've again had to bring work home with me that will take a while, and want to get our bedroom ready for the next step in the project. We've been on the same step now for a few months.

I'm hoping to be able to tell you I've started typing the story and finished the beginning soon.

Writing Bookworm Review: Obsession in Death

I am now obsessed with Obsession in Death by J D Robb aka Nora Roberts. If you haven't read any of the in Death series I highly recommend doing so. Obsession in Death is the latest release in this murder mystery, not taking no crap from nobody, series.

Part of writing is reading other writers. Studying their style and seeing what works. In this story you follow Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYPSD as she stands for the dead, even when the dead are people who have gotten in her way. Which is what happens in this book. There is a killer who has become obsessed with Eve, and kills for her claiming to be her True Friend and doing what she can't because of the rules of the system she must follow. The victims are those who have crossed Eve's path, but not in a good way.

The first victim is a defense attorney who went up against Dallas while defending one of the many bad guys Dallas caught. This attorney bad mouthed Dallas to the media, but things backfired and her client still got put away. The second victim is a junky who made incidental contact with Dallas during a fight and gave her a nice bruise. Eventually though, the hero must fall and the killer will turn on Dallas; and oh what a fantastic way does the killer turn on Dallas.

I love the characters Nora Roberts has created. It is torture to have to wait for the next story to see how Lt. Dallas and her partner Detective Delia Peabody will solve the next murder, and what crazy people they will run into. Lt. Dallas in particular has this style about her, her own way of looking at things that makes others wonder about their own way of doing things. For example, when Lt. Dallas tells one of her men how "it'll be like looking for the crazy needle in a stack of needles." (pg 137 - Obsession in Death.) Eve also warns her people not to say haystack; after all, what would a needle be doing in a haystack?

It's this challenge the norm and what we know type character that I love, and would love to write about in my own writing. The future setting is also imaginative, but not too far off that the technology they have isn't something I couldn't see us using. The piece I would love is the drying tube. No more toweling off when you get out of the shower, which means less things to wash. Or how about an auto chef. Just program what you'd like and out it comes. Need food fast? You'd no longer have to drive to a fast food joint, and you'd be able to eat healthier. Eating healthier however is not something Eve tries to do; she loves a good greasy pizza and has secret stashes of chocolate and cookies.

There is also a type of lingo used that I can't help think, why didn't someone think of this before? Today we have our LOLs and WTFs; in the in Death world there is mag, ult, and abso, just to give a few. I also can't forget some of the banter that goes on between some of the characters. Any shortened version I could post here would not do some of these conversations justice. But I'll try with a little taste of one, when on page 71 Roarke who is Eve's husband says "Why would I be pissed just because some murderous bastard's got a crush on my wife?"

This series has a lot to teach you. If you want to write for any genre, I would suggest picking up a few of these books. You won't be able to stop with just one. I will say this though, the first book Naked in Death is the most boring of the series, not that it's not worth a read. But if you read it first, know that it takes time to introduce characters, and you barely scratch the surface of some of the characters you will meet. I remember I started with Innocent in Death, and then loved it so much I had to go back and see how it all started. I've been hooked on this series ever since. The characters, the way they handle life's problems, and the things they say to each other; you can't wait to run into them again. And the writing actually transports you to the streets of New York and suddenly you are right with Eve chasing the bad guys and girls, and making the streets a little safer. I don't care if you want to write Fantasy or True Crime, you could still learn a thing or two.

Still Learning What Works

So, basically at the halfway point of my challenge to myself to write a novel in two months, and I'm not even halfway done with the story. In fact I'm just beginning.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I mostly picture scenes. Each one is different, using different characters. Then this past weekend, something happened. I started acting out a scene that had been bouncing around a while, and it expanded. I became one of the characters and could more clearly see the others.

I still don't know the names of each character, but at least I have an idea of where the story is going. Now I've begun outlining, and creating summaries for the characters I know about. I'm hoping that before the week is over, I'll be starting the first few pages of the story.

Have you figured out how you work? What do you use to get the creative juices flowing and stitch the beginnings of a story together? There is no right or wrong answer. Everyone is different. And I fear, I will soon have to learn how I work all over again. (That is a story for another post.)

Breaking Out

I gave myself a challenge that started last week. That challenge is to write a novel in 2 months. Do I think it will be ready to publish should I complete one? No. This challenge is just to write a rough draft.

Why did I do this? I've always been a writer, but I could never finish a story. I'd force it for school, but I was never truly proud of the stories I wrote for class. Now that I'm not writing for school, I find I don't have any complete ideas which makes it near impossible for me to complete a story. While it may work for some to let the story flow and to go where the characters take you; it has not worked for me yet. The characters go somewhere that makes me uncomfortable or bored, and I toss it.

The ideas I do have, are only short scenes. I imagine some characters blocking security cameras on the fly, or in car chases, or running for their lives. Why are they running for their lives? Why are they working together? And the characters I imagine are almost never the same, or if the same, not in the same teams. So if "Jamie" is helping "Joan" in one scene, I may imagine the same scene, but with "Jamie" and "Steve".

So, why did I give myself this challenge? A few reasons. First, lately I've been too worn down from working my office job that I am not in the mood to do much of anything when I get home. However, when I'm working at the office, there are times I can't help but imagine scenes and play them out. I wanted an excuse to help make myself do something about the scenes playing around in my head. Second, life seems to always get in the way. Even with this challenge going, I've had to take time to take care of our two Golden Retrievers. One couldn't get up 2 weeks ago and underwent some surgery to remove the issue. She is recovering and doing well, but has needed some extra loving. Our other dog just underwent surgery a couple days ago to remove a lump from his leg. I've also had to put more time in at work, even bringing it home sometimes. I'm not complaining about these things happening, I just haven't found the right balance yet. I'm hoping this challenge will help me to experiment with my time, and different methods to get the most out of my time.

The big one, I start writing and get distracted with thinking about how I'm going to promote the finished piece, and do I start a Facebook page now or wait until the book is finished, or.... The "what ifs" never seem to end. Now I can say, stop, I have this goal, it's out there for the masses to see online, I need to at least finish this thing or I'm going to embarrass myself.

Thus far, after almost 2 weeks into this challenge...I've written a few lines of some character outlines, and two lines into a story. If you can call two lines the start of anything. (I've also now written this blog entry but that doesn't count towards the story obviously.)

Stay tuned to see if I can turn this around.

Considering a Walking Desk

Did I just confuse you with the title of this post? Are you thinking I've gone off my rocker? Desks don't walk. You're absolutely right...as far as the desks don't walk part. I'm not referring to a walking desk, but a desk you walk at.

A walking desk is basically a treadmill with a desk you can work at. One of my Christmas presents this year was a FitBit Flex. In addition to my poor sleeping habits, I've been able to identify that unless I go to the office for my regular job where I'm walking to and from the printer and cafeteria, I sit on my butt. For example see my step total yesterday, which was a Saturday.

My total today is even worse, and I'm making my back hurt since I have very poor posture when sitting. However I'm hesitant to actually purchase one for two main reasons.

First, nowhere to put one. At the moment our home is full up. If we actually organized some items, and started stacking we may find enough room somewhere, but still doubtful. Downstairs we are still storing furniture items and boxes for family, as well as boxes of our stuff we, for the most part, haven't touched since we moved in. Plus right now, we have our patio table and chairs which take up about half the basement.

Second, the cost. Unless I get a very basic treadmill and build myself a desk to go with it, a walking desk doesn't come cheap. The cheapest I've found is somewhere over $600. The cheapest treadmill I've found is around half that and I'm not sure I want to spend even that much.

As I start doing more for my dream job, being a writer, I spend more and more time on my butt in a chair rather than doing some kind of physical activity. A walking desk would be one way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I'd be able to get in some kind of physical activity and be able to work on that dream job.

What are your thoughts? Are you now thinking about a walking desk for yourself? Why would or wouldn't you get one? As far as what I'm going to do...this will take some more pondering.

Plans made...

So, I have a three day weekend coming up, my Mom has apparently already made plans for us. I found out on Friday when I called for something else. Suddenly she says "when do you want us to work on your Family Room?" I found myself racking my brain for what she might be referring to since the Family Room is pretty close to finished. After asking what she meant, she explained she figured her and my Dad could come over during the three day weekend to put in the base molding.

This triggered a whole new conversation. Our basement is more or less full at the moment because of things we own that we are storing down there, and things we are storing for family members. Since it's winter, we've also added our patio table to the mix. It's very hard to walk down there. So, in the next two weeks, she wants us to figure what base molding we are doing, purchase said molding, purchase paint, then paint the molding in a basement a person can barely walk in.

Think we can do it? We're sure gonna try!